{"nrhp_refnum":"81000402","name":"Burr, Theodore, House","other_names":["Oxford Memorial Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Fort Hill Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oxford","county":"Chenango County","state":"NY","lat":42.44080257500008,"lon":-75.59637536299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1981-09-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story wood-frame house with recessed side wings on Fort Hill Square in Oxford, Chenango County, New York, built between 1810 and 1812 by bridge builder Theodore Burr. It now serves as the Oxford Memorial Library.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant for its association with Theodore Burr, a pioneer American bridge designer whose Burr truss design was widely used for half a century. It is also significant as an example of the Federal and Greek Revival styles later enhanced with Victorian detail. It is the only remaining structure associated with Burr's life and work.","narrative":"Overlooking Fort Hill Square and the Chenango River in Oxford, New York, this two-story frame house was built between 1810 and 1812 by Theodore Burr, a pioneer bridge designer. The main block has a hipped roof with a low cupola, a two-story verandah with Ionic columns, and recessed side wings. Its form reflects the transition from Federal to Greek Revival style, and later Victorian details such as cast-iron balusters and oriel windows were added. Burr, one of Oxford's founding settlers, patented the Burr truss in 1817 and built bridges across the Northeast, including crossings of the Hudson and Susquehanna rivers. He lived in the house only about two years before moving to Pennsylvania. The house was a private home until 1843, then a rectory, and in 1900 was given to the village as a free public library. It is the only surviving structure tied to Burr's life and work, since none of his major bridges still stand.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Theodore Burr","architectural_style":"Federal/Greek Revival transitional, with later Victorian detailing","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"In use as the Oxford Memorial Library and Oxford Historical Society museum; condition listed as excellent and unaltered apart from the wing additions and 1970s updates.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:41.225169-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/81000402.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000402/b21abdc9b2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000402/b21abdc9b2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Geraldine Clark","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oxford_Memorial_Library_Theodore_Burr_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Geraldine Clark</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oxford_Memorial_Library_Theodore_Burr_House.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"85002481","name":"Oxford Village Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/oxford-village-historic-district-85002481/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316852","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Burr_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7781718"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/chenango-county/burr-theodore-house-81000402/"}